Residents at a care home in West Lothian THROWBACK SUMMER EDITION had some unusual visitors to cheer them up during their coronavirus isolation - alpacas. 1. Gwen Stefani- Sweet Escape To watch a video of this story, click here: 2. Rusted Root- Send me on my way https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland- 52050755/coronavirus-alpacas-visit-care- 3. Hanson- MMMBop home-to-cheer-up-residents? intlink_from_url=https%3A%2F%2F 4. Bob Marley- Three Little Birds 5. Reef– Place your hands

Make invisible ink! Take a cotton bud/ cocktail stick and dip it into lemon juice. Write on a piece of plain paper, and once Just in case you missed it, What did the duck it’s dried your message will be invisible. If attempt any of these challenges to keep active. say to the you heat the paper with a hairdryer, you If you’ve already done them, have bartender? will be able to see the message again. another go and see if you can improve! Why not set up an invisible ink treasure Put it on my bill. 1. Remember star jumps to your hunt for members of your household? favourite song? This time it's Write the clues in invisible ink. burpees (touch your chest to the ground, get up and jump. Re- peat). Take as many breaks as you like. Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius practiced what we would 2. Let's dance the YMCA! Pick a call Mindfulness during his difficult and turbulent life. Suffering from character and copy their moves. the grief of losing his children in their early lives, and leading the https://www.youtube.com/ Roman Army to war, Aurelius wrote a journal from the battlefield. The watch?v=YCDCwuGcEmA work, known as his ‘Meditations’ reflected on the Ancient Greek Stoic philosophy that helped him to cope with the hardships he faced. 3. It's skills day! How many kick- One activity Aurelius wrote of that you can try is called ‘The view from ups can you do? Outdoors - use above’. It is intended to put your worries into context, the context being a football. Indoors - use rolled the entire universe. Aurelius asks you to imagine yourself from above. up socks. Best of 5 Then, move further and further away, seeing yourself as just one attempts. person in your town, one person in the country, one dot on the Earth, 4. Spend 3 minutes in plank. Take on microscopic point in the entire universe. Here are some of Aurelius’ own reflections on this: “Think of substance in its entirety, of which you as many breaks as you like. have the smallest of shares; and of time in its entirety, of which a brief and 5. It's competition time! Get as momentary span has been assigned to you”. many family members involved. Who can hold a wall sit for the longest? The winner picks an exercise for you all to complete 3 Have a pet that’s keeping you entertained? Send times. a photo to a friend or family member of your pet’s funniest moment to make them laugh! Don’t have a pet of your own? Find a funny photo of your favourite animal to share. For example, have a look at the mess Gardening is excellent for our mental health. Take the seeds out of a Bell Miss Kirby’s dog has made! Pepper, and, using an egg carton, plant them in some soil. Place them some- Learn Welsh! Try these phrases... where warm, like a kitchen windowsill, and water them when needed, but be Hello, my I live in... Do you want to go for a Stay at home! careful not to over water (this would name is… walk outside in the sun? make the soil look soggy and clogged with water). In about a week you Fy enw I Dwi’n Ydrych chi am fynd am Aros gartref! should see them start to grow! ydy… byw yn… dro y tu allan yn yr haul?

‘IN THE DEPTH OF WINTER, I FINALLY LEARNED THAT THERE WAS IN ME AN INVINCIBLE SUMMER.’ Albert Camus